The study of the drying application distances from the condensing unit effecting on the air conditioning efficiency and drying rate

Abstract

This work was focused on the study of the drying application distances, or the heated air-obstacle distance, from the condensing unit of the 24000 BTU/hr air conditioning systems (A/C) which effected on the A/C efficiency and the drying rate the application. The drying application utilized exhausted heat from the condensing unit and performed as the fabric dryer. The application or the experimental setup was investigated for the A/C efficiency and the drying rate in 4 different weather conditions; the normal and rainy daytime and nighttime. The fan, which was driven by electric from battery charged by a solar cell panel, was installed on the application to enhance heat convection inside the application. The application; which can be considered as an obstacle of exhausted air from the condensing unit, was placed behind the condensing unit at two different distances; 0.5 and 0.7 m, respectively, to investigate their effects on the A/C power consumption of the obstacle distances which directed the heated air into different heated-air-flow patterns. The velocities of inlet and outlet air through condensing unit, humidity ratios and temperatures of ambient air, sunlight intensity, fabric weights before and after drying and A/C power consumptions were measured. From the results, when the application was placed at 0.5 m behind the condensing unit, the A/C efficiency was better than it was at 0.7 m in all four weather conditions. Since the closer distance between the application and the condensing unit could enhance more convective and evaporative heat transfer of the heated-air flow behind the condensing unit, we found that the evaporative cooling and convective heat transfer played their important roles in the drying process of the application and in the heat rejection of the A/C system. We also confirmed that the A/C system cleanness plays an important role on the power consumption indicators.